Squeaking Noise

[Schmo]

My Jeep has had an intermitent squeak coming from the belt area for about a month or so. I've had it to the dealership (it's still under warranty) 3 times, I had to literally drive the tech around so he could hear the noise and yesterday a new Belt Tensioner was installed. Unfortunately that was not the problem as I've still got the squeak. When I was talking with the tech after he'd heard the noise he mentioned that a few things could cause it and one of the things he mentioned was the water pump which has me a bit freaked as I'll be driving 800-1000 miles over the next two weeks. I had the Idle Pulley replaced about 6 months ago which took care of the squeak I'd had at the time. Any ideas what could be causing the squeak if its not the belt tensioner or idle pulley?

[cmjrfan8]

Water pumps are a common failure in TJ's. Usually around 50K miles.

[Schmo]

That's what I'm worried about . . . just got AAA last night and will be calling the dealership again this morning and will request that they look specifically at the water pump.

[Kodiak Spirit]

crazy thought... but just go to the par store and grab a water pump & some RTV and throw it in the jeep. Don even take it outta da bag. then if yu nee it, yu can do it onna side of the road, an if yu don, yu can take it back....

eye wou git a belt to, jes in case...

but that h20 pump is easy to change on a 4.0- you can do it yerself cheap if you want.

[Schmo]

Any idea how much the Water pump and belt would cost? To replace the pump all I need is the part and some RTV? Do you have to drain and refill the radiator too?

[TDS SD]

Noise

Have you tried some waterpump lub. Spray a little WD40 on the belt, if the noise goes away it is the belt (Temp fix). Water pumps usually go because of lack of lubricant in the coolant or belt being too tight. Hope I've been of some help.
George

[Schmo]

Have you tried some waterpump lub. Spray a little WD40 on the belt, if the noise goes away it is the belt (Temp fix). Water pumps usually go because of lack of lubricant in the coolant or belt being too tight. Hope I've been of some help.
George

I have not tried either of these fixes . . . got another appt . . . this time with the dealership by my house for Monday so I'm hoping they can figure it out. The weird thing is that it's intermitent which makes me think it might be a bearing. Is lubing the water pump something that should be done on a regular basis . . . first time I'm hearing of it. Also would I spary the WD40 on both sides of the belt or what and same question I guess . . . is the belt something that needs lubing? I heard someone talking about belt dressing but wasn't sure what that was . . . is WD40 good for the belt or do they make something special for it that's better?

[RAT]

Joe,
I wouldn't spray anything on the belt. They're designed to run dry, so if it's squeaking there's a reason. I have a question. Is all this dealership work being done under warranty? Just curious. How old is your Heep and how many miles? Also, if it's an intermittent squeak, you may want to look at things like the radiator support and support rods, all of the thingies mounted on the fenderwells, batter mount, etc. If any of that is loose it can produce a squeak. If it is a water pump, they are easy to change and I can help you with that.
Kurt

[Schmo]

Joe,
I wouldn't spray anything on the belt. They're designed to run dry, so if it's squeaking there's a reason. I have a question. Is all this dealership work being done under warranty? Just curious. How old is your Heep and how many miles? Also, if it's an intermittent squeak, you may want to look at things like the radiator support and support rods, all of the thingies mounted on the fenderwells, batter mount, etc. If any of that is loose it can produce a squeak. If it is a water pump, they are easy to change and I can help you with that.
Kurt

Yes it is under warranty . . . the only reason I take it there!!! It's an 06 with about 28K. I bought AAA last night which is giving me some peice of mind. I bought the extended warranty when I got the Jeep and have been thinking about just cashing it in and keeping the money for future repairs and doing as much of the work as I can myself.

[dadasjp]

I understand kurts point about the belt running dry, but too tight or a bad belt could still cause the squeak, and wd40 will get all over the place. I use the old school method of taking a bar of bath soap to the undersides of the belt (engine off of course). This will lubricate the belt enough to rule it in or out but will wear off after a bit of driving with no mess and no damage. At least youll be able to rule out belt & tension. After that i'd
agree that the waterpump issue is next most likely (its an easy change, just some bolts & hoses, did my first at thirteen). Good luck.

[Schmo]

Rick and I were checking things out and noticed considerable play in the fan clutch. If you grab the fan blade, you can wiggle it a good 1/16-1/8" back and forth between the block and the radiator. The fan also seems to be a bit tight compared to the other Jeeps we had on hand. Hopefully the dealership will replace the fan clutch and will check the water pump to make sure the bearing is good, no leaks, etc. I figured while I had it in, I'd do the cooling system service where they flush the radiator, presure test the system, check for leaks, etc. And seeing that they'll probably have to remove the belt to replace the clutch, I'll see if they'll let me just buy a new belt and have that one thrown on without the labor charge. Got an appt first thing in the morning . . . wish me luck!!!

[scherf68]

Water pump about 30-40, belt 30-50. Labor 1-2 hours max. Shouldn't be over 150-175 total job with labor at a shop.

[Schmo]

Spoke to the dealership yesterday and sure enough the fan clutch is bad. Not sure if that is what's causing the sqeak, but it sure seems like I'm narrowing it down having replaced the idle pulley, belt tensioner, and now the fan clutch. They checked the water pump and said it looks good. I'm having them do the cooling system service . . . I had a coupon for 40 bucks and liked the idea of them pressure testing the system and adding the dye to check for leaks, etc . . . hopefully they actually do it and don't just charge me for it . . . is there a way to look and make sure it's been done?


Props to Rick for noticing the play in the fan clutch. It's really kinda pathetic that I'd taken the Jeep to the dealership 3x with a noise coming from the belt area and they never noticed the play in the fan clutch. It was the same thing when my Idle Pulley was bad . . . took it in a couple times and they couldn't find anything then I take it in and personally point to the worn out pulley . . . problem solved. So I guess the warranty is worthless unless you can diagonose the problem yourself!!! I'm kinda worried about not having a warranty though as in a years time the warranty will have covered: idle pulley, starter, belt tensioner, fan clutch, windshield molding, rear view mirror, and a seat belt.

[RAT]

Spoke to the dealership yesterday and sure enough the fan clutch is bad. Not sure if that is what's causing the sqeak, but it sure seems like I'm narrowing it down having replaced the idle pulley, belt tensioner, and now the fan clutch. They checked the water pump and said it looks good. I'm having them do the cooling system service . . . I had a coupon for 40 bucks and liked the idea of them pressure testing the system and adding the dye to check for leaks, etc . . . hopefully they actually do it and don't just charge me for it . . . is there a way to look and make sure it's been done?


Props to Rick for noticing the play in the fan clutch. It's really kinda pathetic that I'd taken the Jeep to the dealership 3x with a noise coming from the belt area and they never noticed the play in the fan clutch. It was the same thing when my Idle Pulley was bad . . . took it in a couple times and they couldn't find anything then I take it in and personally point to the worn out pulley . . . problem solved. So I guess the warranty is worthless unless you can diagonose the problem yourself!!! I'm kinda worried about not having a warranty though as in a years time the warranty will have covered: idle pulley, starter, belt tensioner, fan clutch, windshield molding, rear view mirror, and a seat belt.

Sniff sniff, I smell "LEMON" pie...

[Schmo]

Sniff sniff, I smell "LEMON" pie...

OUCH . . . I sure hope that's not the case All the issues so far have been pretty minor . . . and luckily nothing where I've been left stranded on the trail or side of the road. I'm just hoping that I can get any problems and bugs worked out while it's still under warranty . . . I've got 7K or so left on it.